1st Letter to Paul and Jan Crouch, Trinity Broadcasting Network, from Nancy Blankmeier (now Flint), dated 12-7-78: (about demon possession of Born Again Believers)
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Dear Jan and Paul,
I love you - I really do --and I weep for you -- and I weep for channel 40. I am writing to not to criticize or condemn but rather to warn you of a very dangerous teaching that is rampant in the Body of Christ -- and is especially making in-roads here in Orange County.
I pray right now that you will be given a sensitivity to and discernment of spirits about this doctrine. It is a teaching which was taught over Channel 40 last Saturday by Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland. It is when they said "I cast that demon out of him" or "I told that demon in the name of Jesus -- to come out." In both of the instances they sighted they were referring to BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS!
Now, Jan, you know I have no argument with these brothers -- In fact I have given you books by both of them. And in many occasions I have been built up in my faith by their teachings - But in the case of this particular teaching they are wrong -- dead wrong!
Some people who are in the "deliverance" ministry say they are not teaching demon possession but oppression. If this is so then why do they command the demons to come OUT? It has been my unfortunate experience to have been subjected to some of this ministry myself and the people who were praying for me looked into my eyes and said they saw a demon of suicide there and commanded it to come out --
Jan and Paul -- my eye is the window of my body (Matt. 6:22) and my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) I am hidden in Christ
(Col. 3:3) and I am seated in Heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) and Jesus is in me (1 John 1:5)
Therefore when this minister looked into my eyes he saw JESUS -- but nevertheless called Him a demon of suicide. That is dangerously close to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I praise the Lord that His Word was hidden in my heart and His Spirit was in me and there was no harm to me from this ministry.
However some of our brethren have not been so fortunate and there have been persuasive powers displayed around them so that they are deceived into thinking that they have had demons. These powers of darkness are indeed demons but they do not come out of born-again Christians -- These are powers of vain and haughty display such as the false prophets used in Matthew 7:15-23. These evil powers are very real and are often seen and felt very strongly at these meetings. Frequently these ministers command these demons to appear (or manifest themselves). Jesus never did this and we should not either! He gave us the power and authority to deal with any spirit He reveals to us and tells us to rebuke or cast out. But to stand in a room full of Christians and command demons to appear is Witchcraft. We must not rejoice in that spirits are subject to us -- but rather to rejoice in that our names are written in Heaven (Luke 10:20).
Other times there are names given such as Spirit of Anger or demon of lust, and these are called out. We might well ask if these are not spirits in us then what is the awful stuff we see in ourselves? We are all still in flesh bodies and the works of the flesh are in all of us. the list is terrible -- read all about in Galatians 5:19-21. None of us who love the Lord like our flesh very much. I'm sure most of us would love to be "delivered" of our flesh if it were possible -- And someday Jesus will do that for us (1 Cor 3 [?] ). But right now we're stuck with it and with our deceitful and wicked hearts too (Matt. 15:19 and Jer. 17:9-10) God has not told us to exorcise our flesh but rather to mortify it and reckon it dead (Romans [?] ) For to God it is! Let's be Christ minded about our flesh - God has abolished the enmity between my flesh and himself through Christ (Eph. 2:15).
Romans 8:6 says: "For to be carnally minded is death [;] but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [vs.7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God [:] for it is not subject to the law of God [,] neither [indeed] can be. [vs.8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. [vs.9a] BUT [emphasis added] ye are not in the flesh, but [in] the [S]pirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you." [emphasis added]
Galatians 2:20 says: "I am crucified with Christ [:] nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me[:] And the life which I now live in the flesh [emphasis added] I live by faith in the Son of God [,] - who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I could go on and on about the awful things which have been ministered at these meetings but would rather not. I would rather just pray that we would be healed of looking on one anothers' flesh -- and begin to see our brothers and sisters though the eyes of Christ - to see the new creature in our brethren -- to see the Spirit of the Lord in them and if need be to be used of the Holy Spirit to help them mortify their flesh and its' works. But certainly never to attempt to exorcise their flesh or call them demon possessed. We must hold out to them the TRUTH and the REALITY that they have:
1. The mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16)
2. Their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19)
3. That His Spirit dwells in their hearts (II Cor. 1:22 and Gal. 4:6)
4. Their souls have received Salvation (1 Peter 1:9)
That which is born of the spirit is spirit! (John 3:6[b] ). There is just no room in a Christian for a demon or a spirit. I don't care what we see, or experience. If it is not in agreement with God's Word it is not the truth -- It is a lie and we are deceived. I am praying for Channel 40 that no one will ever speak this false word again. I do love you both and write this only because I do. Your sister - Nancy Blankmeier.
[Dec. 7th, 1978 postmark
Santa Ana, CA]
Trinity Broadcasting Network
KTBN Channel 40
2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92680
Mailing: PO Box A. Santa Ana, CA 92711
Nancy Blankmeier
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